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(0)
(c)
(a)
we should press for a further Gurkha battalion to replace one of the two British infantry battalions. We know Sir Murray MacLehose would not be opposed to this; we should press for the remaining British infantry battalion to be at minimum manning strength
we should press for further savings to be sought in support costs. C.B.F. clearly suspects (from a signal which we have seen) that there may be scope for further savings of this kind, though he has not felt able to say this definitely without further study and 1CD sre inclined to contest it (one inhibiting factor is the cost of Gurkha lines of communication to Nepal and the common Gurkha training facilities in Hong Kong).
10. I have not suggested any draft amonaments to the paper to reflect the line suggested above. Whatever decisions the Steering Committee may reach, it would probably be most convenient for the Cabinet Office or the Sub Committee to polish it and amend it as necessary in the light of further consultation with the Governor. 11. Meanwhile, in case it is needed, our own view of what the answers to the questions in para. 16 should be:-
(a) Yes;
(b) No to the first part, and Yes to the second paru; (c) No;
(a) Yes, subject to the qualification that the Government
might wish to start out asking for more than 317 m; this is for him to decide;
(e) (i) Yes (but substitute "and" for "or" at the very e)
(11) Yes; (111) No.
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